I always see recipes with peanuts and chicken or chicken with some sort of peanut sauce.  Well, being someone who cannot eat nuts I usually skip right over those recipes and think about how amazing they must taste.  Monday, I noticed my jar of Sunbutter in my fridge and thought, why don't I just you this instead of peanut butter.  I am not sure why I had never thought of it before, I use Sunbutter in my baking and on sandwiches so why not in my cooking.  Mum ingredient #1-check.  Now to think of what to put with it, well as you can clearly see by the photo on the top of this post, I paired it with pineapple.  I must admit, I was skeptical of this pairing but it proved to be a unique and tasty dinner!

For you "not allergic to nuts" people, you could use peanut butter instead of the Sunbutter.  If you use Sunbutter, I want to warn you of the price because it is higher than normal peanut butter, thus not as budget friendly.  I am sure others with allergies will agree that the $6.00 for a 16 ounce container is worth it to have something that tastes so good, yet won't send you into an allergic reaction. 


Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup of Sunbutter
2/3 cup of panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup of instant mashed potatoes
1/2 fresh pineapple cut up
Agave Nectar-I forgot to measure, but I am guessing 3 Tablespoons 
non-stick spray
oven safe pan

Directions:
-Preheat oven on BROIL

-Place Sunbutter, bread crumbs and instant potatoes in a bowl and mix well
-Place chicken in an oven safe pan 
-Pat Sunbutter mixture on top of the chicken breasts, you will use it all, so pile it on there!
-Place in the oven for 10 minutes, reduce stove temperature to 400 degrees, bake for another 5-10 minutes (or until done)
-Place pineapple and agave nectar in a pan, heat on medium until pineapple is soft

Plating:
-Place chicken on your plate
-Top with desired amount of pineapple




Healthy Eatings, 



Rachel
 
Remember that Kenny Rogers song, "The Gambler"?  There was one line that stuck out to me as I was preparing for dinner, "You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away and know when to run".   I knew my boys were at their limit of being surprised at what I was making for dinner on a nightly basis.  So I decided to surprise them with one of their favorites with a twist ;)  

Ingredients:
1 box (16 ounces) whole wheat spaghetti 
10 ounces fresh spinach
1 container (10 ounces) of Philly Cooking Creme, Italian Herb and Cheese
6 ounces of reduced fat cream cheese
16 ounces reduced sodium chicken broth
1 rotisserie chicken-I use just about the whole thing
Parmesan cheese (optional) to sprinkle on top 

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-Cook pasta per directions on the package
-While pasta is cooking, remove the chicken from the bone and place desired amount in a bowl, then set aside
-Steam the spinach until wilted, wring or pat out extra water and set aside
-While spinach is steaming, in a pan on medium heat combine broth and cheeses and heat until mixed well
-Drain pasta
-Combine all ingredients until well mixed
-Spray 9 x 13 pan with non-stick spray
-Optional top with Parmesan cheese
-cook for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly



Healthy Eatings, 

Rachel
 
I apologize that this was actually last week's MUM and I forgot to post it.  

I have never used udon noodles in any of my recipes so I thought I would use those and broccoli slaw as the basis for this recipe.  Verdict: Make it Up Monday #2 was a really good.  I also decided to share this recipe with someone as a "taste tester".  So, after a hard workout I decided that my trainer was the perfect person!  After hearing that he liked it I decided to share it with you :)



Ingredients:
2 packages of broccoli slaw
2 packages of udon noodles
3 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons xantham gum
1 to 1.5 pounds of chicken, pounded to uniform thickness
Garlic Expressions-to marinade your chicken

Directions:
-Turn oven on broil.
-Marinade the chicken in Garlic Expressions, I do this right on the stoneware pan that I will be broiling it on.
-Broil chicken about 7-8 minutes per side or until it has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees.  
-Slice your chicken to the desired sizes.
-Cook noodles as directed on the package then drain.
-In a medium sized pot, whisk together soy sauce, xanthum gum, and chicken broth. 
-Heat on medium heat, until it thickens, stirring occasionally.
-Add broccoli slaw until well mixed then remove from heat.  

Plating:
-Place noodles on your plate
-Top with the broccoli slaw mixture
-Finish with chicken


Healthy Eatings, 


Rachel
 

Ingredients:

1-2 pounds chicken breast, pounded to uniform thickness
1-2 pounds whole carrots, washed and not peeled
Frieda's Tomato Pesto
Parmesan cheese
McCormick Perfect Pinch Mediterranean Herb Seasoning
Olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
1/4 cup Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Blue Agave







Chicken Directions:

-Preheat your oven to broil (or try this grilled in the summer)
-Drizzle a little olive oil on the chicken breasts
-Sprinkle on the Mediterranean seasoning to your liking and let sit until the oven has preheated
-Place in pan to bake for about 6-7 minutes per side (depending on the thickness for the chicken) or an internal temperature  of 165 degrees.
-Spoon on the tomato pesto and cheese, then place in the oven for another 1-2 minutes.




Carrot Directions:

-Fill a large pot with water and heat to a boil
-Add carrots to the boiling water for about 8-10 minutes, depending on the size
-Drain the water from the pot and return to the stove
-Add Agave and butter and mix well




Healthy Eatings,

Rachel

 

This salad celebrates the great 2012 Outback bowl!!  Because of the nail biting action game I was unable to concentrate on what I was going to make for dinner and needed something quick using what was in my house :)  So we have red raspberries for Georgia and Spinach and feta for the green and white of Michigan State.




Ingredients:

Spinach
Raspberries
feta cheese
chicken breast, cooked and diced-I used a Rotisserie chicken
balsamic vinaigrette dressing-I made my own and the recipe is at the end of the directions



Directions:

-Place spinach in a bowl
-Add chicken
-Add feta cheese
-Add raspberries
-Pour on your dressing


Balsamic Dressing (this made about 2 servings):

1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
Dash of salt and pepper

-Place all ingredients in a measuring cup and whisk together.


I really hope you enjoyed this recipe, no matter if your team won or your team lost!!


Healthy Eatings!!!

Rachel

PS.  It took longer to type this post than to make this salad, dressing and all, so healthy is fast and easy!!

 
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This statement is exactly what I said to my husband the other night at our boys baseball game.  I knew wanted grilled chicken, but I did not know what to make with it.  So, I decided it would come to me in the store while I was getting chicken.  What I came up with even surprised me at how good it turned out :)


Ingredients:

Boneless skinless chicken breast
Spinach
Red peppers-I used Delallo Roasted Red Peppers in Olive Oil with Garlic
Mozzarella-I use Fresh Mozzarella
Guacamole-I used Wholly Guacamole because I have not perfected my own guac recipe yet :)
Seasoning for the chicken-I used McCormick Grill Mates 25% Less Sodium Montreal Chicken Seasoning
Tin Foil


Directions:

-Preheat your grill (or the oven on broil, if you prefer)
-Pound the chicken breast to a uniform thickness
-Season the chicken to your liking on one side
-Place spinach on a piece of tin foil (make sure the tin foil is large enough to become a packet as it will go on the grill)
-Cut up the red peppers and the garlic and place on the spinach
-Add a small bit of the olive oil from the pepper jar on to the peppers and spinach, then seal up the foil
-Place chicken on the grill seasoning side down, if you like you can sprinkle a little more seasoning on the side that is up.  Grill for about 4-5 minutes before flipping, cook the other side for about 4-5 minutes also.
-A couple minutes after placing the chicken on the grill, place a piece of tin foil on the grill and then place the spinach pepper packet on that piece of foil. The packet will be on the grill for about 6-8 minutes total, I flip my packet about half way through (this is why I put another piece of foil underneath because I don't want the oil to catch fire).
-After removing the chicken and the spinach and pepper packet.  Let them both sit for 1-2 minutes.
-Slice your Mozzarella and get your guacamole ready.
-Place chicken on your plate, top with the spinach and pepper mixture
-Place Mozzarella on top of the spinach and peppers
-Finally place a dollop of guac on top of the Mozzarella




Healthy Eatings,

Rachel


 
I love to make homemade pizzas with my boys.  I love it because we can all have what we want for pizza, the boys can make their own, it does not take long at all and the Chicken Spinach Pizza is a great alternative if you are like me and don't really care for pizza sauce.

Kids pizza/traditional type pizza Ingredients:
"crust"-I like to use Naan bread, Flatout Bread, or whole wheat tortillas
cheese-for my boys I let them use string cheese, I use fresh mozzarella
Sauce-I use Ragu Pizza Sauce for my boys pizzas.
Toppings-whatever you like

Directions for the kids pizza:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-spread sauce on your crust
-Have the kids tear up the string cheese and place it on their crusts
-Add toppings of choice
-Place in the oven for about 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly





Chicken Pizza Ingredients:
fresh uncooked spinach
chicken, grilled/cooked and cut up-you can use chicken breast that you grilled previously, or just for the pizza.  I sometimes use a rotisserie chicken if I am really hungry or in a hurry.
fresh mozzarella cheese
reduced fat feta cheese
olive oil
spices-I prefer Mrs Dash Garlic and Herb or Mrs Dash Italian Medley

Chicken Pizza Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-In a small bowl place a small bit of olive oil and the seasonings you prefer and mix together (you may not use it all)
-On a baking sheet or pizza pan place your crust
-Use a marinade brush, small spatula or spoon to cover the crust with a layer of the olive oil mixture.  *Be careful not to add too much or your crust will be soggy*
-Cover the crust with spinach (how much is up to you)
-Add you chicken pieces
-Add your cheeses

Place in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the outside of the "crust" is crispy.




Healthy Eatings, 

Rachel